Caribbean Journey is a short jaunt at Texas State Aquarium

The Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi doubled its exhibit size in May 2017 when it added the Caribbean Journey Exhibit. The Texas Legislature designated it the Official Aquarium of Texas.

CORPUS CHRISTI — The choices are good ones: Head to the Gulf of Mexico or go on a Caribbean Journey. Then we hear that the next dolphin show at the Texas State Aquarium starts in 15 minutes, so we make a beeline for Dolphin Bay to catch the action.

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From a perfect vantage point at Dolphin Bay, we watch trainers lead two Atlantic bottlenose dolphins through a series of acrobatics, tossing balls, waving at the crowd, chattering and following every command, entertaining young and old. From the stadium seats, members of the audience can watch boats head in and out of the Corpus Christi Bay and listen to the squeals of the kids on the front row getting soaked by the strong flip of a dolphin tail. While the trainers coax the dolphins to throw a splash (or two or three) on a big swath of the audience, they also teach lessons in preserving the environment — putting trash in its proper place so marine animals in the Texas Gulf and beyond face fewer threats.

After the dolphin show, it’s back to the decision — go to the Gulf of Mexico section OR the newer Caribbean Journey that involved a massive expansion of the aquarium that opened a year ago (with a mental note to make a stop by that fabulous gift shop before the day is over).

We started with the familiar, marveling at the list of sharks on the wall that live in the Gulf, watching pulsating jellyfish on a blue lighted background and gawking at the size of Otis, the giant Pacific octopus next to the aquarium glass as others craned their necks to get a closer look at its underside. One of the messages here is about saving sharks that are important to a healthy ocean ecosystem, not fearing them as man-eaters. Whole families can fit inside the jaws of a life-size great white shark replica or even feel the backs of some small sharks in a touch pool.

The Islands of Steel exhibit shows a decommissioned oil drilling platform and the kind of underwater habitat that can form around it. Two sand tiger sharks, fish and stingrays swim in and out of the giant steel platform, in one of the aquarium’s most popular exhibits. Red snapper and yellowtail snapper swim by at eye level while Tiki, a loggerhead sea turtle that lost most of her flippers when she got entangled in a fishing line, sticks closer to the surface nearby.

When we move along to the Caribbean Journey, we can’t help but linger with the crowd admiring the pink and red Caribbean flamingoes just inside the jungle environment that is patterned after the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Preserve, a UNESCO World Heritage property in the Eastern Yucatan Peninsula. While the rest of the flamingoes go about their grooming and socializing with one another, one full-grown flamingo seems as fascinated with us — especially a little blond boy next to the exhibit railing — as we are with him. The extrovert acts like a two-legged welcome committee, determined to keep our attention. (We later learned this is Warhol from an aquarium staffer. In fact, everywhere we went, staffers were nearby to answer questions.)

We snapped photos of the flamingoes and scarlet ibis, but kept going back to Warhol. Eventually we had to move along to the macaw, shorebirds and a green iguana perched on a thatched room among the tropical plants.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Sand tiger sharks (Hunter and Orion) swim near a decommissioned oil platform in the Islands of Steel Exhibit, one of the most popular at the Texas State Aquarium. A cownose ray, red snapper and yellow snapper are among the marine life sharing the space in the 400,000-gallon shark habitat like those in the Coastal Bend. less

Sand tiger sharks (Hunter and Orion) swim near a decommissioned oil platform in the Islands of Steel Exhibit, one of the most popular at the Texas State Aquarium. A cownose ray, red snapper and yellow snapper ... more

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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A whole family could fit in this replica of a great white shark’s mouth in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium. It’s one of many educational exhibits designed to encourage visitors to appreciate marine life. less

A whole family could fit in this replica of a great white shark’s mouth in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium. It’s one of many educational exhibits designed to encourage visitors to ... more

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Translucent jellyfish (Pacific sea nettles) in the “Tentacles” Exhibit pulsate to a mesmerizing rhythm in front of blue lights, carried by the currents in the water.

Translucent jellyfish (Pacific sea nettles) in the “Tentacles” Exhibit pulsate to a mesmerizing rhythm in front of blue lights, carried by the currents in the water.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Four bottlenose dolphins take turns entertaining in shows at Dolphin Bay at the Texas State Aquarium, which trainers emphasize the importance to visitors doing what they can to avoid polluting the habitat that harms marine life. less

Four bottlenose dolphins take turns entertaining in shows at Dolphin Bay at the Texas State Aquarium, which trainers emphasize the importance to visitors doing what they can to avoid polluting the habitat that ... more

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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The Stingray Lagoon at the Texas State Aquarium has staffers who show visitors how to use two fingers to pet the backs of stingrays. Those who stick around even get a chance to feed the stingrays by holding little fish underwater with two fingers. less

The Stingray Lagoon at the Texas State Aquarium has staffers who show visitors how to use two fingers to pet the backs of stingrays. Those who stick around even get a chance to feed the stingrays by holding ... more

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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A big mural in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit shows the variety of sharks that can be found off the coast.

A big mural in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit shows the variety of sharks that can be found off the coast.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Warhol, the attention-seeing Caribbean flamingo, is more interested in checking out visitors to the Caribbean Journey’s first stop at the Texas State Aquarium than wading in the shallow waters to look for food. less

Warhol, the attention-seeing Caribbean flamingo, is more interested in checking out visitors to the Caribbean Journey’s first stop at the Texas State Aquarium than wading in the shallow waters to look for ... more

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Visitors at the H-E-B Caribbean Sea exhibit watch sharks and fish swim through a 68-foot display window that leads to a tunnel on the backside for a view of the creatures swimming overhead.

Visitors at the H-E-B Caribbean Sea exhibit watch sharks and fish swim through a 68-foot display window that leads to a tunnel on the backside for a view of the creatures swimming overhead.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Sharks are the stars in the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi. When visitors walk through a tunnel on the back side of the exhibit, they can see sharks and fish swimming overhead. less

Sharks are the stars in the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi. When visitors walk through a tunnel on the back side of the exhibit, they can see sharks and fish swimming ... more

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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A green iguana basks in the sunshine on a thatched roof in the Caribbean Journey Exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium.

A green iguana basks in the sunshine on a thatched roof in the Caribbean Journey Exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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A staffer gives the green iguana in the Caribbean Journey some TLC before lunch at the Texas State Aquarium.

A staffer gives the green iguana in the Caribbean Journey some TLC before lunch at the Texas State Aquarium.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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The 68-foot acrylic window at the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit is the longest in North America, and gives families plenty of opporunities to take photos in front of the sharks and fish.

The 68-foot acrylic window at the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit is the longest in North America, and gives families plenty of opporunities to take photos in front of the sharks and fish.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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A stingray Lagoon gives visitors a chance to touch cownose rays, Atlantic stingrays and Southern stingras, a native to the Gulf of Mexico.

A stingray Lagoon gives visitors a chance to touch cownose rays, Atlantic stingrays and Southern stingras, a native to the Gulf of Mexico.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Two visitors watch Tiki, the loggerhead sea turtle who lost most of her flippers when she became entagled in fishing line.

Two visitors watch Tiki, the loggerhead sea turtle who lost most of her flippers when she became entagled in fishing line.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Xena the Linnaeu’s two-toed sloth, hangs from a branch on the edge of the jungle canopy, thrilling aquarium visitors with a chance for closeup photos of the animal that moves in slow motion.

Xena the Linnaeu’s two-toed sloth, hangs from a branch on the edge of the jungle canopy, thrilling aquarium visitors with a chance for closeup photos of the animal that moves in slow motion.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Xena the Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth attracts a crowd during an evening event at the Texas State Aquarium in April. A coctail reception for a newspaper editors convention awards dinner was abandoned briefly by camera-toting curious visitors who got to see the sloth move in slow motion down a branch on the edge of the jungle canopy. less

Xena the Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth attracts a crowd during an evening event at the Texas State Aquarium in April. A coctail reception for a newspaper editors convention awards dinner was abandoned briefly by ... more

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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A tunnel that goes behind the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit allows visitors to watch sharks swim overhead in the exhibit that includes a replica of a Spanish galleon shipwreck.

A tunnel that goes behind the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit allows visitors to watch sharks swim overhead in the exhibit that includes a replica of a Spanish galleon shipwreck.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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A Caribbean spiny lobster in its colorful habitat at the Texas State Aquarium.

A Caribbean spiny lobster in its colorful habitat at the Texas State Aquarium.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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Divers swim near sharks in the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium.

Divers swim near sharks in the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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When divers join the sharks in the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit, visitors go for the photo op at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi.

When divers join the sharks in the H-E-B Caribbean Sea Exhibit, visitors go for the photo op at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

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A big sign on the wall of the Texas State Aquarium announces the May 25 opening for the “Sharks: On Assignment with Brian Skerry,” exhibit that was organized by the National Geographic Society.

A big sign on the wall of the Texas State Aquarium announces the May 25 opening for the “Sharks: On Assignment with Brian Skerry,” exhibit that was organized by the National Geographic Society.

Photo: Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News

Caribbean Journey is a short jaunt at Texas State Aquarium

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On three visits to the aquarium this spring — twice during the day and once during an evening editor’s convention awards dinner on a top floor overlooking the Caribbean Journey — we got a look at the flamingoes and saw birds flying around the tall skylight that tops the aquarium. We missed Xena, the Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth on two visits. But during a cocktail reception/silent auction up above, word spread that the sloth was out in the jungle down below and a few of us hurried down with cameras in hand to see the sloth moving in slow motion on the edge of the jungle canopy. We watched as an aquarium staffer rubbed Xena’s back as she hung upside down (or maybe it was rightside-up for her) on a branch from her claws on each arm.

The H-E-B Caribbean Sea exhibit provides a view of a Spanish galleon shipwreck replica through a 68-foot acrylic window, the longest in North America, where you can watch reef sharks and barracudas swim by. While you’re focusing the camera on the belly of a reef shark just overhead, another swims right past your shoulder. I’m mentally embracing the sharks, as long as they’re behind the acrylic, and enjoying the variety of ways the Texas State Aquarium has found to show the marine life, coral reefs, birds and reptiles.

The morning before our first visit, we joined staffers from the aquarium and its Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Center as they released a group of rehabilitated green sea turtles back into their natural habitat at the Padre Island National Seashore. At Malaquite Beach, a crowd surrounded the path on the sand where sea turtles measuring 12-18 inches were taken out of tubs in the back of a van and carried one at a time into the surf, after being nursed back to health. They were among more than 1,000 sea turtles that became cold-stunned by a sudden drop in the coastal temperatures, left unable to swim during cold spells in December and January. The turtles had been cared for in tanks in a large metal building in an industrial area of Corpus Christi and most had already been released in groups before our March 9 trip to the beach.

Aquarium CEO and President Tom Schmid was among the people wearing gloves and carrying turtles to the edge of the surf, handing them off to staffers who walked them out into the waves. Onlookers captured it all on smartphones and cameras, cheering as the last turtle was released.

“This was in important event for South Texas and the Coastal Bend,” he said that Friday morning. “That’s what an aquarium can do — not just display animals, but actually save animals,” Schmid said.

He gave credit to his staff and a lot of partners who helped care for more than 1,000 turtles and released them back into the wild. Schmid said he hopes his aquarium is able to expand again to add a facility on-site to care for turtles.

Turtle nesting season has begun for the Kemp’s ridley sea turtles at the Padre Island National Seashore. Volunteers and staffers from the National Park Service watch for nesting sites and remove the eggs to an incubation center to keep them away from predators. The NPS announces dates on its website, nps.gov/pais/index.htm, when turtles smaller than the palm of your hand will be released near the edge of the water at Malaquite Beach. Sometimes hundreds gather to watch.

It’s clear from the turtle release that the aquarium is much more than a place for entertainment. The entrance fee supports educational programming, the Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Center and conservation grants.

In 2017, the aquarium attracted 598,223 visitors, according to Schmid, up significantly from 2016 and 2015. He hopes those visitors take home an understanding of how human actions have an impact on marine animals.

“There is a great quote attributed to a forestry engineer from Senegal, Baba Dioum, who stated, ‘In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.’ I have always felt that this quote pretty much sums up what we try to do every day here at the Texas State Aquarium,” said Schmid.